How To Clear Backorders

What is a backorder?

When an order enters the system and includes an order without enough available inventory, it enters backorder status. This status keeps the order from entering pending status, thereby preventing the warehouse from processing or editing the order.

4 ways to move orders from ‘Backorder’ to ‘Pending’

There are 4 ways to move orders from a backorder status to a pending status. You can receive in more inventory, you can split ship orders (partially fulfill), you can apply alternatives or you can move specific orders into a pending status by assigning priority levels.

1. Receiving more Inventory

If you have more inventory sitting on your dock, you can receive that inventory by replenishment to make more inventory available to allocate to orders. The inventory you receive in the replenishment will be allocated based on when the orders came into the system, and you will see backorders move into pending as inventory becomes available.

2. Split ship orders based on what you have in stock

You also have the ability to split off orders (partially fulfill) orders based on what you currently have in stock. This will create another sub-order for you to fulfill later.

1. Filter for backorders in the OMS.

2. Select the orders you want to split ship / partially fulfill

3. Click Actions and select “Send what’s available”

3. Set up and apply Alternatives

‘Alternatives’ are other SKUs that you can use to substitute back-ordered SKUs in specific orders in order to release them into a pending status. You can find out more about setting up alternatives here.

1. Filter for backorders in the OMS

2. Select the orders you want to apply alternatives for.

3. Click Actions and select “Apply Alternatives”***alternatives need to be configured for the back ordered SKUs for this to work***

4. Move specific order(s) into Pending status by assigning a priority level at the SKU level

When an order enters into the system but the system doesn’t have enough available inventory to fulfill it, it enters into a “Backorder” status. This “Backorder” status keeps the order from every moving into the WMS as a “pending” order, therefore, preventing the warehouse from processing or editing this order. Sometimes, you may need to assign inventory to an order that is in a backorder status, but you don’t have any inventory available in-house. The idea is you want to take the assigned inventory from an order that is “pending” and re-assign it to an order that is in “backorder,” which forces this backorder to move into a pending status. You can do this by assigning the orders a priority level.

1. Within your O.M.S, click into the order.

2. Locate the SKU without Assigned Inventory and select the icon with the arrow next to 3 vertical dots.

3. Click Priority List.

4. Here is the Priority Level List. You will be able to view the orders that contain this SKU that are either in a Pending or Backorder status. Keep in mind that the higher the number, the higher the priority. So in this case, 2 is the highest priority we have and 0 is the lowest. So, if we want an order to move from the backorder status into a pending status, we would need to set the priority of this order to at least a 1.

5. Your backorders will be towards the bottom of this list. #7151 is in a backorder status. If we change the priority of this order from 0 to 1, inventory will be assigned to this order and another order will move into the “backorder” status.